Primer
To protect a white violin, viola or cello from being exposed to the
elements, sweaty hands or the penetration of varnish into the structure
of the wood, violin builders use a primer coat before varnishing. This
separates the rough, unhandled wood from the varnish. Some
traditionalists (in Mittenwald, for instance) use thinned hot glue for
this. This can result to the dissolving of the primer and the upper
varnish layer when cleaning or doing repair work with water. A good
primer should have the following qualities:
- Transparent
- No attenuation-causing properties
- Non-dissolvable with water
- Resistant to hand perspiration
- Good adhesion properties to both wood and varnish